A main sewer line typically serves multiple buildings with individual outflow lines extending from the buildings and connecting the waste receiving fixtures such as toilets, sinks and the like of the building with the main sewer line. A potential problem with such a system is that either the main sewer line or the outflow lines may become clogged. When this occurs, raw sewage may back up into the fixture or fixtures of a building, which are located at a lower elevation in the building than the other fixtures. As is well known, the overflow of raw sewage in such fixtures can be highly hazardous to the health of the occupants and can cause a great deal of damage to the building.
This is a particular problem with respect to modern apartment and condominium buildings in that the tenant having fixtures at the lowest point such as the one on the ground floor will have raw sewage backing up into their home not only from the main sewer line but also the sewage from the other tenants. Often the first symptom of a clog problem is the sewage backing up in a fixture or fixtures, thus once the problem has been recognized it is too late to prevent the hazard and damage.
Heretofore, there have been no suggestions for obviating this problem other than unclogging the system once the sewage has begun to back up, which is too late.